By now, even more cultivators had arrived. This time, they weren’t coming one or two at a time—waves of them appeared in succession, and in the blink of an eye, nearly a hundred cultivators had gathered around.
"Joe Di, that’s pretty cold of you, leaving me stranded in the middle of nowhere while you sneak back here alone!" A loud, boisterous shout echoed from afar. Joe Di didn’t need to look to know that Sawyer Walker, the fake monk, had arrived.
Sawyer Walker moved quickly, dashing beneath the Oath Platform before anyone else could react. Clearly, his earlier words were meant to let Joe Di know they were on the same side.
"Sawyer, see? I’ve been waiting for you all along." Joe Di chuckled, pointing to the grand door behind the Oath Platform.
Sawyer Walker was delighted. He cupped his fists to Joe Di and said, "Many thanks, Joe Di. I’ve got something urgent—let me go ahead."
With that, Sawyer Walker spun around and rushed into the main gate of the Oath Platform. Yet in less than three breaths, he came rushing back out.
Looking a bit embarrassed, Sawyer Walker turned to Joe Di and said, "Joe Di, this is a bit much, isn’t it? We’re friends, after all, and you’re making me swear an oath?"
Joe Di replied calmly, "According to the mark I left behind, everyone gets only one chance. In other words, by coming back now, you’ve already given up your chance to leave…"
"Come on, Brother Di—Grandmaster Di—let’s talk this out. We’ve been friends for years, survived life and death together." Sawyer Walker knew Joe Di all too well. After spending so much time with him, he’d never seen Joe Di threatened or make any pointless concessions.
If Joe Di didn’t want him to leave, there was no point in begging. After all, Joe Di was someone who didn’t even fear Du Bu, and Sawyer really wasn’t qualified to change his mind.
Joe Di glanced at Sawyer, "I’m letting you leave because you came here with me. I haven’t even asked anything of you yet, and you’re already bargaining? Sawyer, I’ll give you one more chance. If you don’t want it, don’t bother coming back."
"Thank you, Brother Di, thank you, thank you…" Sawyer Walker replied, expressing his gratitude repeatedly before vanishing once more into the depths of the Chaos Gate.
He could only blame himself for coming back and getting scolded by Joe Di. What was so bad about swearing an oath, anyway? He was about to leave the Five Elements Universe, and the oath merely meant not actively seeking trouble with Joe Di. With Joe Di’s strength, he had no intention of provoking him.
Watching Sawyer disappear, Joe Di couldn’t help but silently praise him. The strong really do have their own way—no need for explanations, just act and move on.
Only now did Kiana Yin react, staring at Joe Di in surprise. "Joe Di, are you really holding up this road to make a fortune?"
Joe Di replied coolly, "What else? Did you think I’d go back to my old ways, doing good deeds and saving those ungrateful fools?"
Kiana Yin’s expression turned cold. "Joe Di, your understanding of the cosmic rules is the strongest I’ve ever seen, but whether you survive depends on your ability to dodge others’ divine powers. Your grasp of the rules won’t help much."
"Fairy Qianwu, Joe Di is extremely devious. Why don’t we join forces against him…" Byron True said to Kiana Yin, then cupped his fists to the many cultivators behind him. "The Chaos Aura of our universe’s continent has been scattered because Joe Di broke the protective array, and he still refuses to let us go. He’s blocking our way out of this barren universe, hoping we’ll be crushed and die here. All those unwilling to suffer Joe Di’s bullying, stand with us!"
By now, hundreds—maybe thousands—of cultivators had gathered. Byron True’s words immediately sparked a response from almost everyone.
But before any of them could declare their stance, Joe Di coldly spoke: "Do you know why, up to now, none of you have reached the Creation Realm? Why is there not a single cultivator at the Creation Realm in this entire universe?"
"Nonsense! The city lord of Genesis City and the Dao Master Gui Yan are both at the Creation Realm!" a cultivator shouted from afar, unable to hold back.
Joe Di laughed heartily, "Byron True and Quinn Yan at the Creation Realm? I crippled both of them with a single divine art—they’ve only just recovered enough to face me now. Do you really think a Creation Realm cultivator would be so weak?"
"What?"
"Dao Master Gui Yan isn’t at the Creation Realm? The city lord of Genesis City isn’t at the Creation Realm either?"
......
The crowd erupted into discussion. In their eyes, Byron True and Quinn Yan had always been at the Creation Realm, but now Joe Di claimed otherwise—and neither Byron True nor Quinn Yan stepped forward to refute him. Their faces were simply dark with anger.
"Joe Di, you crippled Byron True and Quinn Yan with a single divine art?" Kiana Yin, who’d once seen Joe Di as insignificant, now looked shocked and asked in disbelief.
Joe Di ignored Kiana Yin and addressed the gathered cultivators in a loud voice, "That’s right, I shattered the Chaos Aura of this continent, and I opened the Chaos Gate. As for why—I’ll tell you all today.
Our Five Elements Universe was split into two by the Chaos Gate—inside and outside. Why? Likely because of some selfish schemers. As a result, whether inside or outside the Chaos Gate, no one in the Five Elements Universe could reach the Creation Realm. The fact that none of you have reached it proves my point. So I shattered the Chaos Gate and fused the cosmic rules of the Five Elements Universe, making its laws more complete.
Why do we cultivate? Isn’t it to climb higher and pursue the strongest Dao? By breaking the Chaos Gate, I’ve given everyone a chance to reach the ultimate Dao peak. If you don’t want to thank me, fine—but if you let others stir you up and try to attack me here? I, Joe Di, have never feared anyone. If you want to fight, go ahead. I’ll be waiting right here.
If you don’t wish to fight me, then go prove your supreme Dao in the true Five Elements Universe—I believe you’ll gain something there. Of course, let me be clear: everyone only gets one chance. If you enter and come back out, sorry, you won’t get a second chance. And to honor my contribution to the Five Elements Universe, every cultivator passing through the Chaos Gate must offer thirty Third Step Dao Fruits or thirty ninth-grade divine materials."
As Joe Di finished his words, a massive array screen appeared in the void, displaying exactly what he’d just said.
Byron True’s face turned pitch black with rage—this was shameless beyond belief.
"Everyone, let’s attack together…" Byron True sensed that the spot where Joe Di stood was similar to the Oath Platform, but he wasn’t sure. The reason he hesitated was simple—the Oath Platform couldn’t be refined. With his strength, he couldn’t even penetrate it with his divine sense, let alone refine it.
What Byron True didn’t know was that Joe Di could refine the Oath Platform because he cultivated his own cosmic Dao. Besides, Joe Di had sent the Oath Platform into his own universe world. Within Joe Di’s universe world, the Oath Platform’s Dao pressure was completely suppressed, allowing Joe Di to refine it with his own rules.
Neither Byron True nor Quinn Yan expected what happened next: before Byron True could finish speaking, several cultivators dashed toward the Oath Platform. As they passed Joe Di, each handed him a ring.
Joe Di didn’t stop them. He’d already sensed that the rings contained either Dao Fruits or materials. He put the rings away and let those cultivators rush inside, then disappear from sight.
"Everyone, attack!" Byron True knew they couldn’t wait any longer and took the initiative, unleashing his Star-Moon Halberd. As soon as he attacked, Quinn Yan followed, summoning his Mirage Cauldron. This time, they wouldn’t give Joe Di any advantage, nor would they let his blade shadows lock them down.